Trinity will find it hard to repeat
With the school rugby season almost done and dusted, attention will once more be focused on the ‘in’ sport – cricket. As regards school cricket in Kandy, the obvious starting point is Trinity, last year’s champion side. Five leading lights – Akila Jayasundera, Niroshan Dikwella, Janishka Premasinghe, Heshan Wanniarachchi and Alvin Fernando – will be missing from the action as time has caught up with them.
After much discussion and debate, the captaincy has been handed to Dinuk Wickremanayake who had a tremendous season in 2011/12. Three hundreds and 850 runs proclaim his pedigree. He also purveys some useful off-spin. Rajitha Jayatunga will be the deputy. Left-arm spinner Lakshman Jayasinghe has a heavy load thrust on his slim shoulders, as his expected to follow Premasinghe’s example and grab a hundred wickets. Ron Chandragupta will also have to turn out the runs in bulk. Palihawardena and Jayasinghe should make their presence felt.
If the recent ‘upheaval’ in the North is anything to go by, Trinity will find it difficult to repeat their outstanding success over the last couple of years. In the meantime, the Eagles are sharpening their claws but in the absence of Kanishka Ranaraja, Manoj Sarachchandra and Saranga Rajaguru, inter alia, one wonders with how much confidence that they look forward to the tough times ahead.
Off-spinner Sachin Bulathsinghala, who had a bagful of wickets last season, has been given the reins of St. Anthony’s. Nimesha Gunasinghe, useful all-rounder and brilliant fielder though he is, had a very modest Under-17 season. The Antonians are hoping that he will step up to the plate. Burly Kavinda Puluhuttiarachchi has promised but not delivered. This is his chance to show what he is made of.
The Antonians opened their season yesterday with a match against Thurstan at Katugastota. Stocky paceman Nuwan Karunaratne, who had an innings haul of nine wickets against Sri Sumangala, will lead Dharmaraja. The skipper is also an aggressive middle-order batsman. Left-arm spinner Aravinda Vithanarachchi, a hundred-wicket man, is the vice captain. All-rounder Deneth Lanka is another prominent player. Sandun Weerakkodi, Sasith Gunasekera and Viraj Karaputhugala are the players who have left.
Dushan Malalasena leads St. Sylvester’s. As an all-rounder, he has not really showcased his skills, but it is hoped that, with responsibility, he will come good. Malalasena bowls quick leg-spin and throws in a googly, too. Left-arm spinner Sumedha Dissanaike is probably the best player in the team. A good left-arm spinner, an energetic fielder and a batsman who made a hundred last season, Dissanaike will be the man to watch. Mendis, another left-arm spinner, Hansamal Perera and Indunil Samarananda are the other seniors. Ruwantha Ekanayake, Waruna Wijesinghe and Mohamed Faiz form the exodus.